AngleseyLLANGADWALADRStCadwaladr(explorechurches.org)1

St Cadwaladr

Best known as the burial place of King Cadfan of Gwynedd, who died around 625 AD, shortly after the church was established.

Llangadwaladr, Anglesey

Opening times

Open 10am to 4pm.

Address

Llangadwaladr
Anglesey
LL62 5LB

Around 615AD a royal monastery was established at Llangadwaladr by the Kings of Gwynedd.

The church was simply called 'Eglwys Ael', or Wattle Church and it remained in the hands of the monarch until 1920.

The church is best known as the burial place of King Cadfan. A carved stone built into the north wall reads 'CATAMANUS REX SAPIENTIS MUS OPINATISM US OMNIUM REG UM', meaning 'King Cadfan, the Wisest and Most Renowned of All Kings'. It is often called the Cadfan or Catamanus Stone.

It's thought that Cadfan's grandson, Cadwaladr the Blessed (Cadwaladr Fendigaid) retired to Llangadwaladr to become a monk. When the king died in Rome, between 664 and 682, his body was brought back to Eglwys Ael, which was renamed Llangadwaladr in his honour. The east window is practically the only medieval stained glass on Anglesey, and the centrepiece is a depiction of Cadwaladr.

Look closely around the exterior of the church, there are some fantastic grotesque carvings.

  • Spectacular stained glass

  • National heritage here

  • Fascinating churchyard

  • Famous connections

  • Enchanting atmosphere

  • Captivating architecture

  • Walkers & cyclists welcome

  • Space to secure your bike

  • Parking within 250m

  • On street parking at church

  • Level access to the main areas

  • Dog friendly

  • Church in Wales

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A 12th century parish church, St Beuno's may have been used as a royal chapel during the early Middle Ages, as the princes of Gwynedd had a court in Aberffraw.

St Mary

Tal y Llyn, Anglesey

Tal y llyn sits in a huge churchyard which throws into relief its diminutive scale.

St Cwyfan

Llangwyfan, Anglesey

It may seem an odd and perilous place to build a church, but St Cwyfan's originally stood at the end of a peninsula between two bays, as shown on John Speed's map of Anglesey from 1636.